UAE leads reconstruction efforts

Islamabad: The United Arab Emirates is playing a key role in upgrading the otherwise miserable living conditions of people in the areas cleared of militancy by the Pakistan Armed Forces after military operations, Gulf News has learnt.

"The UAE is spending around $620 million (Dh2.26 billion) on Quick Impact Projects (QIPs) to develop the areas, flushed out of militancy, as part of Pakistan army's efforts to improve social and economic conditions of the affected people," said chief military spokesperson Major-General Athar Abbas, Director General of Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR).

He told Gulf News that the efforts by the UAE government would help Pakistan bring peace in the areas in addition to improving literacy, health care and communication sectors.

He said that Pakistan army is directly supervising all the projects launched by the UAE.

"QIPs worth Dh1 billion has already been launched in Swat, Bajaur and South Wazirastan which were cleared of militants after successful operations by the Pakistan army," he said, adding that it was imperative to launch these social uplift projects to ensure peace in these areas.

Normalcy

Abbas said that such reconstruction project would help bring back normalcy in the affected areas.

The QIP projects launched by the UAE include construction of schools, colleges, health care units, hospitals, bridges, technical education institutions and even water supply projects.

On the directives of President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Ambassador to Pakistan Ali Saif Sultan Al Awani laid the foundation stone in December, 2010 for the rebuilding of a bridge constructed nearly 40 years ago on the River Swat.

The bridge has been named after the UAE President.

Abdullah Khalifa Al Gafli, Director of the UAE Project to help Pakistan, confirmed earlier that giving the name of Khalifa to this important and vital bridge comes as gratitude and appreciation of the Pakistani people for his noble and important humanitarian and development initiatives to help them.

"No other country is helping Pakistan to build such projects the way UAE is helping and we are very thankful to the leadership of the UAE," said Abbas.

Health care

Out of the total $623 million, the UAE will spend some $311 million on education, health care and water supply projects while $312 million are being spent on communication projects including bridges and roads in Swat, Bajaur and some other tribal areas in the country.

During the first phase of the QIP projects, the UAE spent $50 million on education, health care and water supply facilities and $50 million on infrastructure development including communications.

The QIP includes building of three bridges in Malakand Division of Swat at the cost of $20 million. Swat was worst hit during recent devastating floods in Pakistan.

The UAE has spent $27 million building 42 schools, nine colleges, technical institutions, two degree and Cadet colleges in Malakand Division and South Wazirastan Agency.

The country has spent $18 million on the health sector in the same areas building hospitals, emergency departments, paramedic institutions and model health facilities.

It has spent $5.75 million on water and sanitation sector in Swat, Bajaur and South Wazirastan Agency. According to the Pakistan government officials, the much needed projects funded by the UAE would also help create job opportunities and boost economic activities.

The QIPs reconstruction project will also take pressure off the army, which believes the "sooner the basic needs of the communities were met, the better it will help the counter-insurgency operations against the militants."

Schools and hospitals

The UAE also helped Pakistan by the reconstruction of dozens of schools, hospitals and poverty alleviation projects after the 2005 earthquake.

The country also provided huge support during the massive floods that hit Pakistan in summer last year.

In addition to donating millions of dollars, it also sent its soldiers with Chinook helicopters which not only saved lives of thousands of people by evacuating them but also served as ‘air bridge' to provide food, water and medicine in the areas cut off by floods.